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Sonata No 2 in A minor, BWV1003

Introduction

As one would expect of Russian pianist–composers of this epoch, the emphasis is on the monumental grandeur of the music. The discreet piping of the baroque organ was probably quite unknown to them. An exception to this blanket observation was Alexander Il’yich Siloti (1863–1945), whose delicate transcriptions interleave the juggernauts in this collection. By inclination he eschews grandiloquence and elaboration in favour of intimate meditation. A pupil of Nicholas Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky, later of Liszt in Weimar, he was in turn one of the teachers of his cousin Rachmaninov. His reputation as a pianist and conductor of the highest distinction seems to have been unquestioned. After emigrating to New York in 1922 his public profile diminished but he remained a figure revered by his pupils and colleagues. He has the unusual distinction of having collaborated with the composer in Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto both as pianist and conductor. In the vigorous Prelude from Cantata No 35 it is not too fanciful to discern their common heritage in some of the pianistic layout which feels similar to aspects of Rachmaninov’s own transcription of Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In all of his transcriptions his aristocratic pianistic pedigree is evidenced by the fastidious perfectionism of his writing. Nothing is left to chance; the scores, while superficially simple, are replete with meticulous pedal markings and copious fingerings which have little to do with keyboard manipulation but everything to do with achieving a distinctive sonority and phrasing. In general he seems to have been attracted to this music more by its noble melody and flawless harmonic paragraphs than by its intricacy of counterpoint or dramatic power.

The ebb and flow of harmonic tension in the sombre Adagio from the violin sonata in F minor is realized by means of a scrupulously plotted dynamic graph that would be frowned upon today, yet it captures the inexorable unity of the piece to perfection. The inherently subjective nature of our cherished musicological objectivity surfaces in the Andante from the A minor solo violin sonata. Siloti clearly believes that he has treated Bach’s text with irreproachable fidelity and even adds an apologetic note for transposing a couple of bars down an octave. Yet from the moment we hear the sumptuously voiced chords cushioning Bach’s sublime melody we know that we are in the hands of a master romantic pianist. In the original Bach-Gesellschaft edition there was a (rather weak) keyboard transcription of the whole sonata, but later research has pronounced it spurious. The notion that it may be the work of one of Bach’s sons adds a little spice to the speculation. The same Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was the lucky recipient of the little Prelude in B minor which was brought to a wider public in the recording age through Emil Gilels’ unforgettable rendering. The tradition which brings into prominence the hidden left-hand melody in the repeat comes, according to Siloti’s daughter Kyrenia, from the master himself! The Siciliano from the flute sonata in E flat major has been the object of several piano transcriptions (Alkan, Kempff, Friedman and others) as well as suffering the indignity of issuing as muzak from countless elevators and hotel lobbies. Siloti’s, without attempting anything extraordinary, is in my opinion simply the best. In the famous Air from the third orchestral suite, he is again scrupulously respectful to Bach’s text, but his imaginative use of the pedal and the extraordinarily expressive fingerings are of a different epoch.

Recordings

The dazzling young virtuoso Alina Ibragimova has enthralled audiences with her live Bach performances. Critics have acclaimed her beautiful tone, superlative technique and a musical wisdom far beyond her years. Now, in this new recording of Bach’s ...» More

'Elizabeth Wallfisch's deft articulation succeeds in getting to the heart of the music' (The Strad)'This set would be a most tempting release at full price; at budget price it is irresistible' (Soundscapes, Australia)» More

From Wilhelm Kempff’s subtle resetting of Wachet Auf to Ferruccio Busoni’s virtuosic grandeur in the Violin Partita Chaconne, these performances by universally praised pianist Alessio Bax capture the reverence and resplendence of Bach’s music in t ...» More

'Milne plays the more outgoing works with the sharp articulation and gestural clarity that makes his Medtner so refreshing (his left-hand profile is e ...'This is a welcome return to the recording studio for a British pianist who has maintained a consistently high standard for many years. Hamish Milne i ...» More

Hyperion’s Bach Transcriptions series shows Bach through the fascinating prism of the Romantic musical mind. This latest volume presents the complete transcriptions by Saint-Saëns, interspersed with Isidore Philipp’s bold realizations of two Bach– ...» More

Alexander Siloti (1863-1945) was a pupil of Liszt, famous for his transcription of Bach’s E minor Prelude (or rather made famous by Emil Gilels who invariably offered it as a valedictory encore at the close of his recitals) and infamous for his scissors-and-paste job on Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto. And his way with the Air from the Orchestra Suite No 3 in D major, the Andante from the Violin Sonata No 2 in A minor and the Siciliano from the Flute Sonata in E flat major is altogether more effortless and transparent, aiming for simplicity rather than elaboration.